Lost and Found
by Jeyfeather1234
Summary: [Part One of "Gates of Infinity"] During their travels, N and Anthea are reunited with Hilbert and Hilda at Nimbasa City who inform them that N's biological mother is staying at Sunflower Sanctuary, a place for ill people and pokemon. There, N learns the truth about his origins.
1. Prologue

_Rain poured heavily as a woman scrambled over a large boulder, clutching a small child close to her chest in an attempt to shield it from the harsh weather. She flinched as lightning flashed and hurried down the wet slope. The faint sounds of snarling and angry voices were getting closer. There was no more time left. Leaping over a stream, she scanned the area until she spotted a small hollow underneath a tree. For a brief moment she hesitated, knowing the cost of her choice. The voices were getting closer than ever. The woman stared at her child one last time and kissed his forehead before shoving him into the hollow. A huge force suddenly knocked her down and the liepard towering over her began to ready an attack._

* * *

Ashia awoke with a start. She steadied her breathing and glanced around the dark room to gather her surroundings. The sun's early morning rays seeped through the curtains and a flock of Pidoves were flying by, chattering happily with one another. She sighed, letting her shoulders slump. A wave of grief overcame her as she remembered where she was. She shifted onto her side and faced the khaki colored wall. Her family had taken her to a "care center" on the outskirts of town to see if they could do anything to help her get over the loss of her missing son and deceased husband. If anything, it only made things worse.

She couldn't leave the mansion without an escort and most of the staff there were anything but tolerable. She covered her head with the blanket as the door opened. _"Ashia,"_ one of the caretakers who was an Audino called. _"Someone's here to see you."_ She said nothing. Before, she'd perk up at the announcement in hopes that it'd be Penny, the local police, coming to inform her that her son had been found. Now, she hated every second of the person's visit. She didn't bother to remember their faces or their names. She only wanted her son back and Ghetsis' head on a silver platter.

"It's me, Detective Looker," a male voice said. Ashia didn't move. She didn't know who he was, nor did she care. The police and government never brought any good news regarding Team Plasma or her son. He would be no different than the rest. "I think you might want to hear this." She heard him pull a chair up and sit beside her. "Team Plasma tried to control the legendary pokemon Reshiram but stopped by some trainers." Ashia frowned in annoyance. What did any of that have anything to do with her? Was he just wasting her time like the others? "A mysterious young man named N shares your ability to hear the inner voices of pokemon. Does he look familiar to you?" Looker handed her a photo of a young man with tea green hair. Ashia stared at it for a long time in silence. Grief, sorrow, and joy filled her heart. He was a spitting image of his father. If only Yasha could see him.

"Thank you," she managed to say. Looker smiled sympathetically.

"You can keep the picture. I've got another," he responded. "I'll call you if I get more news concerning his whereabouts." He stood up and headed towards the door. "Your search wasn't in vain after all, Miss Regan." No, it wasn't. As he left, so did Ashia's happiness which was quickly replaced with fear and uncertainty. Would N, since that was what he was called now, be willing to see her? Had whoever raised him filled his head with lies so he'd hate her? She hoped not. Audino held her hand with his paw and smiled assuringly.

_"Everything will be fine," _he murmured. _"He's alive and that's all that matters."_ Yes, she supposed he was right. Taking a deep breath, she got out of bed and headed downstairs to the dining hall with her dear friend close beside. They had a lot of catching up to do.


	2. Friends and Ferris Wheels

**"We only part to meet again."**

**~John Gay**

* * *

"Come on, Anthea," N said excitedly and tug his foster sister's arm. "The line's gone down at the ferris wheel."

"Wah- hold on!" Anthea squeaked as she grabbed her cup of ice cream and was dragged to the giant wheel her brother was so excited about. Gothitelle let out a sigh and rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as she followed the two. The two had taken time off from caring for the abused pokemon in their temporary home to visit Nimbasa City while Concordia stayed behind. Anthea couldn't help but smile as N began speaking about his fascination with ferris wheels and their rotating motors. She understood little of what he was saying since he spoke too quickly for her to comprehend but she could see a faint sparkle in his eyes that hadn't been there before and it made her happy.

"Hilbert and I rode this exact same one four years ago," N explained, gazing up at the rotating pokeball cages. His smile faltered slightly and the light in his eyes faded. Anthea wondered who this Hilbert was and why her brother had gotten so sad all of a sudden.

"Then why do we have to ride it if it makes you upset?" She couldn't quite understand why he'd want to go back to the thing that hurt him. "What's so important about this Hilbert anyway?"

"Zekrom chose him. I suppose it saw something in him that I didn't. Four years," he murmured wistfully to himself. "It's been such a long time..." Anthea glanced at him curiously. He seemed to really miss him.

_"Do you...miss him?"_ Gothitelle asked. _"Why?"_

"I know but..."

_"But what?"_

"His pokemon loved him greatly. They said they would die for him if they had to. I hadn't heard anything like that until then." N turned towards her. "You don't understand now since you weren't there. But you will one day." Anthea blinked, somewhat startled. She wasn't sure which was more surprising: Hilbert's pokemon willing to die for their trainer or N's prediction. Sometimes she wondered if the latter really was part pokemon like he sometimes claimed. It would explain how he could predict the future so well. Concordia wouldn't admit it but his ability to see ones past and future scared her. It was deadly weapon that Ghetsis desperately wanted to get his hands on. It was one of the reasons why they were on the run.

As they began to enter the ferris wheel a voice called out, "Hey, pine tree, wait up!" They turned to see a young brunette in his early twenties rush towards them, making sure his hat stayed on his head. He sat across from them and let out a heavy sigh. "Long time no see, huh?" He smiled at N.

"Hilbert? What are you...?"

"It's Friday, remember? We used to ride together back before I left for Kalos." Hilbert glanced at Anthea and held out a hand. "My name's Hilbert by the way," he introduced, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry I didn't see you there. It's been a while since we've seen each other, that's all."

"I'm Anthea, N's foster sister," Anthea replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Hey, is that Gothitelle yours?"

"She's a close friend of ours since childhood."

"Anthea and Concordia, my other sister, can hear the inner voices of pokemon as well," N explained. Hilbert's eyes widened in interest. He then took on a thoughtful expression as he gazed out the window.

"You know, my mom works at a care center on the outskirts of town," he explained. "There's a woman there who can do that too." He fished through his bag as he continued. "She said she needed to find her son the last time I saw her. She gave me a picture of her husband." He carefully took out a portrait of a man on his forties. Anthea's eyes widened in shock. He was a spitting image of N. She looked up at her brother, wondering what things Ghetsis had told him regarding his parents. She'd asked him a few times but he never answered her questions. Now, his gaze was blank.

_"Should we go visit?"_ Gothitelle asked quietly. _"I think your mother would be glad to see you."_

"I know it's really sudden," Hilbert said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "but you should at least say hi. She doesn't leave her room much and all she talks about is finding you." His gaze softened. "I know she didn't leave you in the woods without a valid reason." There was a long silence before N said anything.

"All right," he murmured. "We still have enough time." He stared out the window absentmindedly. Anthea could tell he was anxious and wanted desperately to cheer him up but couldn't find the right words.

"So how did you two meet?" She asked, trying to change the subject. Hilbert laughed a little awkwardly.

"Oh yeah! It was at Accumula Town after Ghetsis had given a speech about liberating pokemon. He said he wanted to hear my pokemon's voice and after that we kept running into each other." N smiled a little at the memory. "It feels great seeing you again." He stared at his old friend, blushing a little. Anthea raised an eyebrow. Was there a thing going on between the two? She didn't know.

Once they got off the ride, Hilbert took them to Route 4 where Zekrom and a woman his agebwas waiting. "Oh my," Anthea breathed. The sun's rays reflected off of the legendary dragon's sleek, obsidian scales, giving it a more powerful and majestic appearance, unlike Reshiram's stunning beauty and elegance. The woman sitting on top its shoulder slid down gracefully. She was a brunette as well and looked similar to Hilbert.

"Hey there, Pine Tree!" she exclaimed, tackling N and ruffling his hair. "I see you're still rockin' that hair of yours. Will you ever cut it one day?" She paused. "Actually, scratch that. You look perfect this way. Oh, you finally got a girlfriend! That's great, I thought you'd die a virgin."

"I'm not his girlfriend," Anthea explained, feeling her cheeks get hot as the girl looked up at her in awe. "I'm his foster sister, Anthea."

"Oh, my bad. I'm Hilda, Hilbert's sister." Hilda let go of N and stood up to fix her hat before shaking hands with her. Anthea couldn't help but notice how callous they were. She wondered what her story was. "So where are we headed?"

"I was going to take them to Mom's work to see Ashia. You remember her right?" Hilbert asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, I remember. Her family's inherited this gene that gives them special abilities."

"Is that so?" Anthea asked. She wondered if that was where she and Concordia came from. Hilda nodded.

As if suddenly remembering, she added, "Zekrom wanted to come with Hilbert on his journey. It's really fond of him."

"Greetings." Anthea bowed respectfully towards the great dragon. "It's an honor to meet you." Zekrom dipped his head towards her and looked at N.

_"You,"_ it said quietly. Maybe she was imagining it, but it almost sounded scared of him, as if he held some sort of power that overwhelmed it. Hilbert and Hilda noticed it too.

"Is something wrong, Zekrom?" Hilda asked. Zekrom took a step back and, to everyone's surprise, bowed.

_"I wasn't informed that you would be here, my lord. Forgive me, I didn't sense your presence earlier."_ Lord? Anthea wanted to ask what it'd meant by that but remained silent. N looked confused as well but quickly hid it.

"I...it's alright. I suppose you were busy with other matters." Zekrom stiffened slightly, as if the phrase was meant to be a jab at his loyalty towards Hilbert. "All is forgiven. Can you give us a ride? We need to get to..."

"Sunflower Sanctuary," Hilbert quipped.

"Yes, there. Do you know where it is?"

_"Of course, my lord."_ Zekrom lowered himself so they could hop onto his back and lifted himself into the air. Anthea's mind was buzzing with questions. Why had Zekrom, the legendary pokemon of ideals, bow before N and refer to him as his lord? As far as she knew, they'd never met. Perhaps it had something to do with their encounter with Reshiram. But it looked afraid of him, a simple human. There was something else, something deeper to it. Anthea figured it had something to do with his mother. Perhaps she had an answer.


	3. Home

_**"At last, at last**_  
_**Bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh, at last"**_

_**~ "Like the Dawn" by The Oh Hellos**_

* * *

N closed his eyes and listened to the steady hum of Zekrom's Teravolt as electricity course through its body and traveled to its tail which glowed faintly. He felt strange, riding the legendary pokemon. It felt unnatural and he could sense its uneasiness with him being present. He wondered why it'd been so reverent to him but was afraid to ask. Something deep inside told him not to ask questions; accept the title and continue on. Yet, he felt something he'd never felt before with any other pokemon he'd befriended.

No, not something; everything.

From its heartbeat to its greatest fear, he felt it all under the palms of his hands and he knew that was only a matter of time before said heartbeat stopped. He could see it clearly: the sun and the moon vanishing as the stars bled an otherworldly color that painted the sky in eternal darkness. People and pokemon fleeing in terror as both Zekrom and Reshiram fell like meteors, their wings burned and broken. A great storm would soon envelop the land and consume everything in its path, replacing it with nothingness. He could feel the cold void tugging at him, wanting him, longing for his soul to finally merge with the eternal darkness that was, is, and will be.

**"...N," **a faint whisper called his name.

**"N."**

"N!" He lifted his head from Zekrom's shoulder and blinked the fogginess from his vision. Gothitelle was hovering over him with Anthea at her side. "You fell asleep."

"Are we here?" he asked, tucking a loose strand under his cap.

"Yep," Hilbert said, looking faintly amused. "Welcome to Sunflower Sanctuary." N blinked and gazed at the pastel-colored mansion surrounded by its namesake flowers. A brick path led to the entrance where a woman was watching a Lillipup scamper about and chase its tail. It barked in alarm and hid underneath the chair the woman was sitting in.

"Hilbert is that you?" she asked, squinting at them.

"Yeah, Nana, it's me again. I brought some friends with me if you don't mind."

"Oh not at all. The more, the merrier." Hilbert's nana, as she was called, stood up and headed towards them. She smiled warmly as she introduced herself. "I'm Margaret, Hilbert's grandmother. Are you looking for a place to rest?"

"We're actually here to see Ashia." Margaret made a happy noise N couldn't identify and opened the door.

"She's by the fireplace, moping around as usual." Hilda thanked her and guided them to one of the rooms where some elderly people sat, keeping some pokemon. A woman in her fifties was petting a purrloin while staring out the window. The purrloin lifted its head at the sight of them.

"Um, Ashia?" N asked awkwardly. He felt more nervous than ever as the silver-haired woman didn't bother to glance at them. "Is that your name?"

"What do you want?" she muttered.

"It's me. Mother, I...I'm alive." His voice trembled as he spoke and gingerly reached over to touch her hand. The word felt strange on his tongue, yet right at the same time. "I'm home, Mother." Ashia finally looked at him with wide eyes.

"Baby," she whispered. "You're okay." She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. "Great Reshiram, you're okay." N couldn't contain the tears in his eyes as she gently stroked his hair. He cried more than he ever had before in his entire life and it felt good. It was as if a burden had been lifted off his back. Murmurs of happiness and congratulations rippled throughout the room making him feel warm inside, something he hadn't felt before. "What happened to you?" his mother asked with worry.

"A lot," Anthea answered, not daring to hide the exhaustion in her voice.

"Oh, sweetheart." Ashia placed her hands on N's cheeks and stared sorrowfully into his eyes. "Please, tell me everything that happened. I need to know." So he did. From his first memory to now, he and Anthea told her everything. He could see his sister ease a little as they shared their experiences. When they'd finished, Ashia looked even more sorrowful. "I'm so sorry, my dears."

"Why did you...?" N didn't finish his sentence. His mother avoided his gaze, making him nervous.

"I used to be a member of Team Plasma," she confessed. "Your father was a member of the International Police serving as a spy to get information on Ghetsis' plans. We discovered the truth when you were a few weeks from being due. We tried to escape after your birth." She saw Anthea frown a little and added, "It was foolish, I know, but I couldn't stay there any longer. Your father, Yasha, he...he and his pokemon died trying to protect me. He was a brave, valiant man, you know."

"So what happened afterward?"

"I didn't have a choice. I had to keep you alive somehow. I was afraid they'd kill you even though your father..." She trailed off before looking at her son. "Can you see future events?" she asked cautiously. "I know it sounds strange but-"

"He can," Anthea replied. "They've all been highly accurate."

"And...the past?"

"If I focus long enough," N admitted. "It takes longer than seeing into the future and a lot harder to control. Did Father have that ability?"

"He could only a few hours into the future but he told me something extremely important." Ashia stood up and beckoned for them to follow.

"What's she gonna say?" Hilda asked, leaning against him. N shrugged. "What? You can see into the future but you can't tell me what your mom's gonna say?"

"It doesn't work like that, Hil," he murmured. They ended up in the backyard where Zekrom was sunbathing. Ashia bowed to it before turning to face them.

"As I said, your father gave me important information about your future," she continued. "He said that you would be the key to opening the doors of infinity."

"What does that mean?" Hilbert asked.

"I'm not sure. He said that the legends about Zekrom and Reshiram were all wrong, that they weren't the original dragon." N was well aware of the tale of the two dragons who were once one. Ghetsis had been only interested in the White Chapter depicting the hero summoning Reshiram. "I think he made a deal with some creature before N was born. He said that N wouldn't die until the gates had been fully opened." That gave him a sick feeling. Would he have to be a pawn to someone else's game again? Would he die once the gates of infinity were opened? Who was the Original Dragon anyway and what did it have to do with him? His mother ran her hand across Zekrom's snout as she mused, "There was something underneath the White Ruins, a secret passageway perhaps. It might give you more information."

"Can't you come with us?" N pleaded. He didn't want to leave her so soon.

"I have a feeling I won't be welcomed down there. You have to do this yourself." Anthea exchanged glances with him. "I'm sorry I can't help you with that. I wish I did."

"Thank you, Mother. It's good to see you." His mother smiled and hugged them both.

"I'm glad you're okay now. C'mon, dinner's in an hour and I want to show you my friends."

Concordia arrived not long before dinner and Ashia was quite pleased to show off her new daughters to the other residents. It was fun watching her brag about how right she'd been to everyone who'd doubted her. Dinner was better than N had expected. It was almost better than Cilan's. Almost. He was happy and for the first time in ages, the hollow pit in his chest wasn't empty anymore. He and his sisters were truly happy and loved by their mother and friends.

However, like all things, happiness doesn't last forever.

Visions of darkness and a storm of hail, lightning, and fire plagued his dreams that night. The void pulled a little harder, beckoning him to an unknown destination. He sat up in the bed given to him and pushed back his hair as his head throbbed. He got out of bed and wandered down the halls to the main living room. With a groan, he slumped into the couch as nightmarish images flashed before him, making his head feel as if it were going to burst. The void was stirring. He could feel it in his bones. It churned and roared like a sea in a violent storm. And in that sea, the eyes of the abyss stared into his soul, welcoming him. **"N,"** it murmured, consuming his senses. **"You have to come home."**

**"Won't you come home to us?"**

"Yes," he whispered, feeling dazed. He wasn't quite sure where he was now and thinking made his mind ache. "Just...wait a little longer."


End file.
